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 COLUMN
The Windows XP yawn MICROSOFT HANDED over its gold code for Windows XP to manufacturers on Aug. 24, and the hype has begun.
I've never been less excited about a major software release from Microsoft than I have been about Windows XP. The launch of Windows 95 was infinitely more compelling. The Program Manager was gone! Goodbye File Manager, hello Explorer! A sleek new interface with a Recycle Bin! It was difficult for anyone to say that Windows 95 wasn't a significant improvement over Windows 3.1. The excitement over the nicer interface offset a lot of the upgrade pains. Gartner has taken an aggressively nonchalant attitude toward Windows XP, describing it "as a minor upgrade to Windows 2000: In version terminology, if Windows 2000 Professional was NT 5.0, Windows XP is NT 5.1." I agree -- Windows XP not only fails to excite me from a technology perspective but also fills me with a clear sense of nonpriority from a management perspective. As an end-user OS with new interface features, improved or not, I would expect XP to generate calls to the help desk more than anything else. Why am I not beating the XP drum? Before declaring my ambivalence toward Windows XP, I did some due diligence by going straight to the product marketing: I looked at the "Why Upgrade?" for Windows XP Professional section on the Microsoft Web site (www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/evaluation/whyupgrade/featurecomp.asp) for reasons to get my CTO blood pumping for an enterprisewide upgrade. Nothing blew me away, but there were a few interesting items of note. One of the features that did seem to have a certain "cool factor" is the Remote Desktop feature, designed to allow remote users to access computers in their offices while on the road. The Microsoft site describes one potential real-world benefit of this new capability: "Using Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol, a user could connect over the Internet and control the powerful computer in his [or her] office, while using a low-powered computer at an airport kiosk." Anyone who has ever worked in an IT organization knows that most of the calls from remote users to the help desk come from harried business users having trouble with relatively simple tasks such as checking their e-mail from hotel rooms. But CEOs productively controlling their remote office computers from airport kiosks? I'm doubtful, if only for obvious security reasons. (Note to self: Count the number of business users controlling their office computers from airport kiosks after XP's official launch. Write retraction of this column if you see one.) The Remote Assistance feature also captured my attention. With Remote Assistance, your company help desk can take control of a remote user's machine to fix a technical problem. This is clearly a wonderful productivity-enhancing feature for any extended enterprise, but it is nothing new -- you can buy Symantec's PC Anywhere Version 10.0 today and do basically the same thing for Windows Me/95/98/NT and 2000. No compelling reason to upgrade there -- a copy of PC Anywhere costs less than the XP Professional Upgrade, and many enterprises are already using it. From this CTO's perspective, dealing with XP feels like another squeeze on time and organizational mindshare that could be devoted to more strategic initiatives. In light of the tough economic climate, Windows XP is a "wait-and-see" upgrade at best, and a drag on your help desk in the worst case, as business users struggle with new features. As a CTO looking for key technology innovations to drive revenue in my company or cut costs dragging on the bottom line, XP doesn't do it. Am I missing something? Tell me what convinced you to decide to make the move to Windows XP. Write to me at chad_dickerson@infoworld.com.  RELATED SUBJECTS  Operating SystemsBusiness NewsMORE > SPONSORED WHITE PAPERS 
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